A few months ago we asked girls to search for the best place to hold Être's 9th birthday, and one response came back with ringing clarity:

"Um, we're all doing this search on Google...couldn't we just GO to Google?"

We could indeed. And because, like all things since the launch of Être's mentorship ecosystem in 2016 the best ideas have come from our girls, it made perfect sense to reach out to Être mentor Lindsay Leone (Van Houten) and ask about a visit.

Senior Business Lead at Google / YouTube and one of Google's earliest employees (catch her career advice in The Epic Mentor Guide), Lindsay responded immediately: Definitely! But let's do it in the new offices. You have to see them.

So on May 8th as Être turned 9, girls ages 16 to 20 filed into the lobby of Google's newest offices anywhere in the world to gape at our company name in lights on the wall.

No WAY, they murmured as they checked in. WAY, said one security guard, smiling. And it's going to get better. He wasn't wrong. Below, amid cupcake crumbs and acres of gratitude, are responses to questions we've been getting since girls spotted Être's visit on Insta. Think of it as a photo-filled thank you note:

Tell us about Google's new offices!

They're amazing.

Opened in February 2024, Google's offices at St. John's Terminal in NYC are built atop the original 1930's rail terminal that's now the High Line and are eco-friendly, light-filled and innovative to the point of being jaw-dropping. Workspaces feel like libraries, green spaces, intimate cafés and enormous stadiums, and Être girls saw it all led by an expert guide and our Google host.

Which other Googlers did you meet?

Rockstars. We met rockstars. Upon entering the boardroom and grabbing snacks and swag, Être girls were introduced by Lindsay Leone (Van Houten) to:

Cori Retblatt Fernandez - Enterprise Cloud Sales Lead at Google
Madison Howie - Senior Partner Manager, Media & Entertainment at Google
Katie Gordon - Head of Strategic Partnerships across Google
Christine Berg - Senior Retail Brand & Performance Leader at Google
Sarah Kim D'Addario - Senior Account Manager for Specialty Retail Clients at Google

What did you talk about? Everything from favorite subjects in school to why team sports matter...how to find internships and what first jobs feel like...what makes an interview work, when big risks make perfect sense, how to prioritize time and what balance at home actually means.

Any specific takeaways we can use? Of course - here's our fast Top Ten:

Be ruthless when you prioritize your time - you can control your hours
Be present - in the moment, fully focused and dialed in
Be willing to ask for help - curiosity is what we're all about so ask for what you need
Be ready to pivot - the next step you take could be the one with magic
Be able to create balance on the fly - a true partnership at home helps with this
Be okay with trusting your gut - try day after day to hone this skill
Be cognizant of when something is a "future me" problem instead of a current crisis
Be a multitasker - show people what you can do while also doing something else
Be multi-faceted - show people who you are & what extracurriculars light you up
Be scrappy - undeniably determined, resourceful and resilient

What did girls say during the day? Snippets of what we overheard...

...in the stairwell: "So crazy that this used to be a train station - and, look! Google logos like hidden Easter eggs all over the tracks on the wall...!"

...on the roof: "I love that this building is so eco-friendly. There are solar panels! And they said it was a 1.5-acre landscaping project that saves birds, insects and rainwater!"

...in the theater: "She joined Google when it was a START UP!" "Can you imagine what that was even like?" "What's a startup now that will be like that, do you think?"

What about afterwards?

“It was such an honor to visit Google and connect with such inspiring, hard-working women! Hearing their stories of persistence and balance in all aspects of life is truly empowering. I am so grateful to have been part of such a special opportunity and also celebrate Être’s 9th birthday!”

— Karen Saavendra

It was, indeed, an incredible way to celebrate. One of the interactive features we saw was a giant, illuminated notebook with a highlighted prompt that read: Who is the most influential woman in your life? Girls immediately started writing: mom, Beth (celebrating Elizabeth O'Connell, Être's CCO whose birthday happily coincides with Être's), Illana and Être.

And it nearly brought me to tears. A mentorship idea sparked 9 years ago to show girls what it's possible to be, with a French name meaning the same, was being hosted by female leaders at Google for a second time. It's no accident, I thought as we headed back to the boardroom for party hats and cupcakes, that all of their takeaways started with BE.

What will the last year of our first decade look like? I cannot wait to find out. But today I'm awash with thanks to the women who power Google. Girls across the globe search every day for answers and mentors - with a single keystroke they can find both.

Looking forward with Google-sized gratitude,

Illana